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Smart Tips For Buying SmartPhones

Updated on February 24, 2011

Smartphones are both popular and functional, allowing people to send and receive emails, surf the internet , take photos, watch videos and listen to music, among some of there benefits. Though they can be costly if you choose the smartphone carefully you will never be disappointed. Follow the tips in the How to Buy a Samartphone article and you are well on your way to making an informed purchase.

How to Buy a Smartphone

Smartphones can be a large financial commitment with some of them costing as much as a notebook computer. Outlined here are some of the key things to consider when making your Smartphone purchase.

Why Do You Need a Smartphone?

Knowing why you want a Smartphone will help you with making many of the key decisions in buying a Smartphone. Do you want a device capable of web-browsing or just receiving emails on the go? Is watching movie clips or listening to music while you are taking the train home important to you? How about games or taking photos and recording video?

Once you know what you want to do with your phone you will have a great list of requirements to match up against a list of phone specifications such as, display size, memory, operating system and more. This information may potentially help you save a lot of money if you can satisfy your requirements list with a low end phone.

Operating Systems

Smartphone operating systems can be one of the single biggest factors for satisfaction with your Smartphone purchase. There is no point in having a phone with all the options and gadgets if you hate the way that the operating system navigates or if it is clumsy to upgrade. The most popular operating systems for Smartphones available currently are Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android and BlackBerry’s OS. When purchasing a Smartphone it is important that you try each and every one of these operating systems and find the one that you enjoy using the most.

Tip: Flashy design and popular brands will soon become less important to you, if you just can’t stand the phones operation.

Hardware

Many of your requirements will also have an influence on the physical hardware that your new Smartphone will need. Depending on how important text input is to the way you want to use the phone you may want to consider a Smartphone with a keypad. However other options like a virtual touch screen keypad or a combination of both may be more appealing.

Tip: A QWERTY keypad is a great option if you are considering a Smartphone mainly for emailing making it easier to write longer emails without thumb fatigue.

Another key factor when choosing a Smartphone for purchase will be its memory and processor capacity. If you intend to full the phones memory with videos, games, images and music then size really does matter. Some handsets do not support external SD memory cards, so you will be limited to the onboard memory of the handset. To avoid a slow, sluggish experience when using your Smartphone you will also be interested in a fast processor. A faster processor will essentially speed up the loading times of the applications you are using and the waiting times when switching between them. Most high end Smartphones will have a processor in the range of 1Ghz.

Tip: If you are not going to be demanding a lot from your Smartphone then a slower processor can work out fine and save you some serious money.

Touch screen displays for Smartphones come in two main types, capacitive and resistive. The main difference is that a resistive type display will need a stylus to operate while a capacitive display like that of the iPhone can be used by your finger. Some Smartphones support multi-touch, which allows the user to use two of more fingers at once.

Tip: Capacitive smartphone screens are considered easier to use and provide easier navigation.

Network

An important consideration for your smartphone purchase will be the network you intend to use. While there are too many Network providers to name them all here, when choosing the provider for your self there are a number of things you need to consider. Consider the network plan very carefully as choosing the wrong plan can cost you a lot. A plan that places value on calling and text-ting my be very expensive to use to send emails or surf the internet. Connectivity may vary from place to place so have an idea of the places you will most likely want to use it. Do your friends or clients use the same service? Some plans place a premium of calling or connecting to other networks.

Tip: Technology is changing very rapidly so don't commit to a lengthy contract if you can help it. Most companies will allow contract upgrades but by then they may not meet you specific needs.

No matter what you choose to buy the hardware requirements will ultimately dictate size and weight.

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